


A Sprit in the Jungle

by Arithanas



Category: The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Genre: Gen, Mayan Mythology - Freeform, Multi, Post-Canon, Pre-Hispanic Folklore, sprite-like mythical entities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 22:45:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5067499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arithanas/pseuds/Arithanas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tulio and Miguel learn that jungle made Chel's people are pretty imaginative with their sprites.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Sprit in the Jungle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegreatpumpkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegreatpumpkin/gifts).



Altivo was tired and they were running out of water, Tulio did the right thing and tied Altivo’s reins from a tree and Tulio led the way through the thick vegetation in search of water, breaking through it with bare hands, until he said Chel pointed passable road. The jungle was full of sounds, snapping branches and the occasional cry. Chel shook at the sound of grunting.

“That sound belongs to the _aluxo'ob,_ ” Chel said with gasping breath, clutching to Miguel’s arm.

“ _Aluxo’ob_?” Tulio asked with a confused exclamation

“ _Aluxo’ob_!” Miguel confirmed and pushed Chel between the two of them. It was a great pleasure of him to know how to pronounce words and he picked them up as soon as Chel taught them.

“That’s what I said!”

Miguel turned his eyes to Chel and raised his shoulders in amused confusion. Chel rolled her eyes and put her hands on Tulio’s shoulders.

“One _alux_ is bad, but that sound like a group of them...”

“And what on Earth are those aulxbobs?” Tulio asked with the condescending smile of a man who believes little in fairy tales, let alone fairy tales that didn’t belong to him. Miguel corrected him, but Tulio disregarded his words.

“Those are bad spirits of the jungle,” Chel explained and her eyes darted around, “They are small, and always hungry.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Miguel contributed, trying to sound optimistic, but his hands were trembling.

Tulio scoffed and extended his hand. His fingers touched something hard and pointed. Suddenly Chel’s word sounded less whimsical.

“It is, they have long claws and long fangs, and they drag men, women and children to a _ts'onot_ and, from there, to _Xibalba_.”

“to _Xibalba?”_

Tulio didn’t let her finish because a couple of shiny eyes appeared among the leaves and their first impulse was to brace for the attack by hugging each other and cry their heads out.

And they remained hugged while a herd of peccaries rushed pass them.

**Author's Note:**

> The sprites are named 'alux' in singular and the plural people use more in Mexico is 'aluxes' but that's a fairly recent, I left it in the Classic plural. Happy Halloween!


End file.
